I achieved SABLE (stash acquisition beyond life expectancy) a long time ago. Some people can only buy yarn when they know the specific project they’ll use it for. Not me, I buy yarn when I see it and it’s pretty and squishy, and then I figure out what I’m going to do with it later.
Since I knit a lot of socks and shawls, most of my stash is in fingering or sock yarn weight. It also means that I can buy a skein or two of yarn without worrying about not having enough to knit a larger project like a sweater.
Part of the fun of having a stash is stash busting. That’s when you find a project you want to make and comb through your own stash to get the yarn to make it.
One of my favorite designers, Paper Daisy Creations, is doing a MKAL (mystery knit along) for a shawl starting in September. I want to participate so I decided to shop my own stash for the yarns I’ll need.
Here’s an example of one of her prior shawls–aren’t her patterns gorgeous?
This pattern called for two skeins of a dark contrasting color, and then six complimentary colors.
I keep my yarn in totes sorted by color family (warm or cool colors). When Pudding saw me get out the totes she was very excited. Pudding, like her mother, LOVES yarn. She loves to roll in it and sometimes lays on it like a hen on an egg.
Pudding: Did you…did you just compare me to poultry?
She had to rub on the totes to let me know they belonged to her (and so did their contents).
She then climbed INTO the tote and growled at me when I pulled her out.
At first I thought about doing something in pinks and purples, and working with different texture yarns. I pulled several yarns, including some mohair, to see if that would work.
I liked the colors I chose, but decided that the mohair probably wasn’t a great idea for the pattern.
I wound up going the exact opposite with my colors and decided to do the shawl all in blues.
From left to right: Adelaide Victoria Fingering in Dark Side of the Moon, Mt Ruston Fred in Pewter, Lowlander Yarn Studio Sockalicious Fingering in Color Me Curious, Mt Ruston Fred in Faded Denim, Primrose Yarns Adelaide in Pillow Talk, Manos del Uruguay Alegria in Natural, Acero, and Pescador.
Part of the fun of stash busting is remembering where you got the yarn. The Mt. Ruston and Lowlander Yarn Studio yarns either came from Rhinebeck (which is like knitting Comic Con) or from the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival. I have fond memories of both as knitting festivals are my cozy, autumn happy place.
The Primrose yarn was a subscription I got back when I was just (sniffle) a little baby knitter.
Plus, it’s just fun to look at yarn, you know?
If you want to see how these colors work up in the MKAL pattern, you can follow me on Instagram at @ElyseIndeed.
Pudding and I want to know what your stash is like. Have you achieved SABLE? Do you need to have a project in mind before you buy yarn? Tell us all about it!
